Rampant Divorce Viewed as a Christian Crisis

Published July 3, 1986. I subscribe to a magazine titled “Marriage and Family Living” sponsored by the Catholic Church. It is published in St. Meinrad, Indiana.

In the July issue there is an interesting editorial about Christians and marriage. The editorial notes that historically, Christians viewed marriage as a lifelong bond unless it could be declared invalid for some technical reason. This view also held that both parents shared in caring for and raising their children to adulthood.

Until the 16^th century, the Catholic Church was in complete control of the legal side of marriage. After the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin, the editorial noted, turned the control of marriage over to the state. Divorce has become much easier, and the state now has even gone to the point of providing for “no-fault” divorces. What are the results?

The Bureau of Census forecasts that half of today’s marriages will end in divorce. Furthermore, it is anticipated that 40 percent of those who divorce and remarry will divorce again within four years. Some statisticians estimated that by the year 2,000 AD the majority of married couples will have been through at least one divorce.

These trends have created an understandable crisis for Catholics and other Christians as well. The editorial noted:

“Because some marriages do bring great unhappiness. It may seem charitable to allow those concerned to part and even enter a second union. But the situation is surely out of control when half of all couples do this. That is what’s now happening. The Catholic church, struggling to maintain its traditional standards, is encountering serious pastoral problems. The Protestant groups have tended to allow divorce but are also finding more and more church members, including some pastors, ending their marriages.”

The editorial calls for Christians of all denominations to reaffirm their standards on marriage and family living, thereby separating themselves from the secular values that are replacing them. It is a situation where the separation of Church and State must be made clear. If not, the secular value of “easy-in and easy-out” marriage will inevitably invade all churches.

So what might be done?

“We need a clearly defined policy based on a recognition that major changes are taking place in our culture. What Christians really believe about sex, marriage, parenthood, and family life may need to be redefined and put into practice. This may mean an open rejection of the lower standards that the secular culture is widely promoting. This has happened before and will surely happen again.”

The editorial concludes:

“Our take is not necessarily a negative one – to judge and condemn the new secular standards. It is rather to affirm and reaffirm that Christian marriage and family life represent the real sources of happiness and demonstrate this convincingly. Above all, we must get these sensitive issues out into the open. We need to talk about them; we need to support one another and make our relationships an example of what we believe about living together in loving harmony.”

We thank our Catholic friends for these insights and admonitions.